The present invention relates to a data storage system. In particular, the present invention relates to a head support shield for shielding the head support from excitation and vibration to, inter alia, limit off-track errors.
Disc drives are used to store digitally encoded information on discs. Data heads read data from or write data to data tracks of a disc supported for rotation by a spindle motor or drive. Data heads are supported by a head actuator and include transducer elements for reading data from or writing data to a disc. Typically, data heads xe2x80x9cflyxe2x80x9d above the disc surface for read and write operations. The transducer elements are supported on a slider of the data head and rotation of the discs creates an air flow under an air bearing surface of the slider to lift the slider above the disc surface for read or write operations. Near contact and contact recording are also known.
The head actuator includes a rigid actuator arm supporting a flexible suspension assembly. Data heads are supported at an extended end of the suspension assembly. The head actuator is rotated or actuated by a voice coil motor to position data heads relative to selected data tracks for read or write operations. During operation, the spindle drive rotates the disc creating an air flow path along the rigid actuator arm and flexible suspension to the air bearing of the slider. Spindle rotation speed of disc drives is increasing to provide faster seek times. Increased spindle rotation increases disc air flow along the rigid actuator arm and flexible suspension to the air bearing. Increased air flow can create more air turbulence causing excitation or vibration of the head support. Depending upon the nature and frequency of the excitation force, excitation or vibration can induce torsional mode resonance, sway mode resonance or bending mode resonance. Vibration or resonance of the head support can induce off-track movement of the data heads. Disc drive data density (or tracks per inch) is increasing and thus drive performance is more sensitive to off-track errors. The present invention addresses these and other problems, and offers other advantages over prior art.
The present invention relates to a head actuator assembly including a head support excitation shield along the flow path to a leading edge of the head for protecting the head support from flow induced vibration and excitation.